Band Geeks
by glubbingwwhales
Summary: Dave meets a new kid at school and decides to become friends with him, not expecting to become a little bit more.
1. Chapter 1

Dave wandered the school halls. This was a typical school day spent doing typical school things. But one thing that wasn't so typical was the lack of attention. He usually had girls swarming around him but he didn't get that anymore...

This wasn't something he was used to; the silence and personal space. He kind of missed the swarming girls and the swooning and begging. But compared to how happy he was right now, he didn't really mind the silence. He was on his way to music class and he was happy. He was happy that when he got to music class, he could be alone. Alone and happy, alone and happy with the one he loved.

== go back

Dave sat at his lunch table. There was no possible way any more chairs could be squished into this uncomfortable circle. The circle of chairs being squished here was so big most of the kids involved weren't even close enough to the table to eat on it. Some people who wont be named (vriska) actually had the audacity to sit on their nameless boyfriend's (John) lap because there was so little room. Dave being the first one to get here was the only one lucky enough to be able to eat at the actual table.

There were people who were his friends that sat here, such as John, Sollux, Karkat (kind of), and Jade, and then there were the people who were here just because they felt that since they had invaded his personal space enough throughout the rest of the school year that they were part of his inner circle. He wouldn't be surprised if they called up their friends when the got home and bragged about how they were BFFsies with gasp Dave Strider.

The blond ate his burrito silently and looked up to see an amusing scene unfolding in the hallway. He actually felt bad for the kid and if the circle wasn't so tight and the people weren't watching him, he might have gone to help him.

One of the newer trolls to join his school was holding his hands out in defense as an older human guy was scowling at him. If he had to guess he'd say the troll was in tenth or eleventh grade. Dave was in twelfth. He wasn't one to go around helping people but this troll was pitiful and he didn't approve of older teens picking on the newbies. The troll dropped to his metal cased knees and began picking up books that had been dropped, standing quickly to hold out his hands hesitantly to the older student. He took his books back quickly and the small troll sat back down to pick up his own things. Dave leaned forward a little more to see brown streaks running down the younger kids face. Brownblood huh? Dave was very used to the hemospectrum order from talking with Sollux so much. He and Sollux were pretty tight bros.

When trolls had started becoming friendly with humans, the two communities collided and became one. The trolls were indifferent to the humans but some of the humans didn't like the changes being made to their own territory. That older teen must have been one of the unwilling ones; that or just a bully.

Dave watched silently as the small troll picked up papers slowly, turning them their correct directions and stacking them into a folder. He grabbed a black case that looked to hold an instrument and hurried off down the hall. A few kids at the table, namely John, Sollux and Karkat, seemed to notice Dave's staring. The other kids didn't know how to tell when Dave was looking any one direction because they didn't know him well enough. John seemed to have begun watching the young troll too and looked over at Dave when he went back to eating at his usual pace. The lunch bell rang and Dave finished eating his burrito on the way to dump his tray.

It was time for music class now and he only hoped he'd get to see if the troll was being put in his class. He hadn't seen him around school before and with how skittish he was he must be pretty new. The blond picked up his guitar case from by his table and stalked off to the band room. He sat down in his chair and leaned back, looking around at the empty room. He wasn't usually early like this because he disliked the eyes of people entering, immediately going to him. It was unnerving despite how used to people staring at him he was.

He perked up when he heard the back room door shut. There he was. The troll with the huge as hell horns was walking out of the back room... what was he doing back there? He clutched onto a small case around his chest and stared at the floor, not noticing the cool-kid watching him. Dave creased his forehead when he heard a screeching sound. He watched the boys metal legs stick and he was falling quickly. Dave stood and took a quick step forward, the boy only a few feet away. He held out a hand, catching him by the chest. The troll looked up quickly, eyes shining in embarrassment. He stood quickly, apologizing profusely.

Dave shook his head, "Hey, don't freak out. It isn't any big deal."  
The troll stared practically at Dave's feet, occasionally glancing up to make quick eye contact before darting to the floor again.  
"First lesson of Skaia Highschool, I'm Dave Strider."  
The troll looked up subconsciously and held out an awkward hand, "I-I'm Tavros."  
Dave shook his hand softly and asked what instrument he played.  
"I uh- flute..." He responded awkwardly, "I guess you uh, play guitar huh?" he said looking over at daves guitar case, opened to show a red and white electric.

"Yeah." Dave went to sit back down again.  
Tavros stood where he was, "I uh, where do I, where do the flute players sit," he asked uncomfortably. Dave pointed to a chair in front of him, down a level. The troll nodded and sat down carefully. Dave smiled when Tavros' back was turned. He could tell how nervous the kid was about being alone in the room with Dave staring at his back but somehow he couldn't summon sympathy that he was sitting behind him. He enjoyed watching him fumbling with the parts of his flute as he put it together with practice.

The warning bell rang and more students started coming in. The seat Dave had given Tavros was the one unused seat between the flutes and the clarinet and sax section. He felt kind of bad that it was the only available seat left for flutes because Eridan sat at the end of the sax section... right next to where Tavros was...

Dave would have to warn him about the asshole. He leaned forward just as Eridan entered and whispered in his ear, causing him to freeze up much to Dave's amusement, "That asshole over there," he said, discretely pointing to the violetblood who entered the room, "Watch out for him. He's gonna come onto you I'm sure."  
Tavros seemed rather taken aback by the prediction but watched him as he approached the two, "Good morning freaks, I knoww you're all glad to see me. I hope you havven't had a hard time concentrating in class because you can't get me out of your head."  
Dave remained calm, used to these shenanigans. Tavros however was completely shocked, holding his flute close to his chest and staring down at the ground, practically shaking with the uncomfortable fear of this stupid finned asshole.

The music instructor entered from the back room with an attendance clipboard, calling off names to make sure his students were all there. He called Tavros to the front of the room which Tavros took pretty roughly, "This is Tavros. He's new here and I expect you'll all treat him nicely." Dave noticed a smirk from the seadweller who sat in front of him, "He is also my assistant and if for any reason he has a problem with any of you, you'll get to see me personally." at this the hipster's smirk dissipated and he decided to busy himself with pulling his saxophone from its case.

The class went smoothly and so did the next. Dave was the only one he knew out of the next class, English. He was always glad his last class was a short and lonely one, so he could relax from all of his friends demanding his attention. However, he kind of wished Tavros was in this class because he could learn a little more about him without having Eridan around to annoy the crap out of them.

The class was over and Dave packed up his bag, walking past his locker, unstopping. He didn't use his locker. He left all of his stuff in his 500 pound bag so he wouldn't have to stop between classes. He jogged down the stairs awkwardly with students shoving into him on every side. He was actually pretty surprised he never fell down them from being tripped up so many times. He walked silently through the front doors of the school, glad to get a breath of the frosty spring air. He made his way to the front gate of the building to begin his walk home but stopped short when he saw a little ways away, the frame of the short troll he had met earlier that day.

He looked around in all directions, seeing he was alone, and then jogged to catch up. He caught up just as they exited the school grounds, Tavros taking a right that Dave had always been familiar to. He was surprised the troll was walking in the same direction. He held out a hand to grasp him by the shoulder, "Hey short stuff."  
The troll jerked around, surprised, "Oh! Uh, hi... Dave."  
Dave nodded, "Where ya live?"  
Tavros nodded ahead, "Over there on, ummm... Copper street."  
Dave nodded in approval, "I live in the apartment complex over there." He pointed to the apartment building a few streets over. Copper street was mostly commercial buildings, small stores and a few larger brick houses, "So... you opposed to havin some company over, bro?"  
Tavros seemed surprised at the request, "Oh, r-really? I don't know a-about my roommate's plans today, but-but I think it would, um, be okay..."  
Dave nodded. Trolls, he knew, lived alone. They didn't have parents and the things they called a lusus couldn't survive in earth's atmosphere. They hadn't been around in years and years, even before humans and trolls came together when troll lived alone in small colonies. They hadn't been around since the trolls still lived on their own planet.

Dave had to wonder who the shy boy's roommate was. It might be someone they both knew from school who had let him come stay there, "Who are you rooming with?"  
Tavros seemed surprised at the question, "Oh one of my older friends. He's only a few years only, really, bu-but he had a place to stay and, um, I couldn't pay rent on the other place I tried to, uh, stay. I only had money for part of the rent and they said I couldn't stay."  
Dave nodded for him to continue, since he hadn't really answered the question.  
"O-oh, I um, I mean, His name is Gamzee. I've been friends with him for a while, since I uh, since I met him at a party a few years ago. He graduated a few years ago."  
Dave recapped all of this quickly in his brain, "Wait... how old are _you_?"  
Tavros looked up, "A-almost 18, why?"  
Dave felt his cheeks warming up. This troll was adorable, he had actually made Dave think he was a freshman, "Just wondered."

"I know, I'm, uh, kinda small..." The younger commented. Dave had turned 18 a few months ago.  
He shook his head, "No big deal." He rested a hand on his new friend's back before dropping it back down to his side. They were nearing the corner and Copper street appeared. Dave was about to head past but remembered he was okayed to come over. He followed the troll, now silent as they approached a large brick two-story.

Tavros pulled out a set of keys and awkwardly tried to figure out which one it was that went to the front door. He finally found one after taking a whole thirty seconds and shoved it into the lock, twisting and turning before finally opening the front door. He stepped inside, his metal feet making a clink as they hit a tile entryway. He waited for Dave to come in before shutting the door. Dave watched silently as he pulled his jacket off and tossed it over the edge of the couch. The couch was old looking but rather clean for looking like it was from the nineties. They had probably gotten it from a Good Will or something. He didn't object though, it was better than the old beat up couch he shared in his apartment with bro.

The troll looked awkwardly at Dave, "Um... I don't actually have anyone who, uh, comes over or anything so... did-did you want something to eat?"  
Dave shrugged, "You hungry?"  
Tavros nodded slowly, as if wondering if it was okay to eat in his own house. They both turned to hear feet hitting the stairs and Dave watched as a tall troll went straight from the stairs to the kitchen, not noticing the new inhabitant of their house. Tavros waved Dave to follow him as he went to the kitchen.

Dave noticed the nice smell of the house, like a mix of sugar and citrus. Of course, it also smelled like something was cooking. When he and Tavros entered the kitchen, he noticed the taller troll, who was wearing baggy black pajama pants and a purple tee shirt, leaning over the over with mitts on, pulling out a dark chocolate cake and setting it on the stove to cool. He slammed the oven door and turned to notice the others standing in the kitchen entryway, "Oh, what's up motherfuckers?"  
Dave was unnoticeably amused by the troll who looked totally high. He wondered what it was he was smoking but as he walked by him to sit down, all he smelled was more of that really sweet smell, something that reminded him of the frosting his bro would spread on the ironically festive sugar cookies they made at Christmas time.

Dave sat down, "Nothin much. I'm gonna guess you're Gamzee."  
The troll nodded. "Yep, but might I motherfuckin ask who you are," Gamzee asked inquisitively.  
Dave leaned back, "Dave Strider."  
The troll nodded, "Cool. Who wants to try my motherfuckin cake?"  
Tavros, who seemed to have relaxed more as they had entered the kitchen, raised his hand enthusiastically, reminding Dave of something John would do if anyone volunteered to put in Con Air.

The taller troll smiled, "Well fuck, bro, ya can't for another hour."

"I know," Tavros said sullenly as his hand sunk back down to the table. Gamzee laughed and ruffle his friend's hair as he left the room to go back upstairs. Dave looked over at the troll who was still left in the kitchen and waited for him to say something.  
"I um, what kind of food do you like?" Dave shrugged, "Whatever's most convenient."  
Tavros thought this over and his face lit up for a second before going back to pondering food choices.  
"What," Dave asked.  
"Huh?" Tavros looked back over at his company who responded once more.  
"You looked excited there for a second what is it?"  
Tavros bit his lip, trying not to let a smile cross his face at the idea filling his mind once more, "I uh, I don't know if you, uh, would be okay with, or um, even want to for that matter. But I thought, you know, maybe if you're even interested,"  
"Yes?"

"We could order pizza and you could stay over for the night?" Tavros blurted out quickly and as clearly compared to everything else Dave had heard him say today. His voice becoming slightly higher pitched in question near the end. Dave smiled halfway, hoping to make the troll a little less scared of him. He usually wouldn't let his poker face down for anyone but John but Tavros seemed like facial expression were something he looked to for emotion and Dave was nice enough to not want him scared to shit of him.

He nodded, "Sounds like a plan, bro." Tavros smiled a huge grin, making it apparent that this must be one of the most exciting things he's done in his life. He jumped up as fast as he was able to and half jogged to the stairs, his legs still not working as smoothly as Dave assumed they should. He followed him up the stairs where the boy pulled out a phonebook and called for pizza.


	2. Chapter 2

Dave sat in front of the television perched on a nightstand in Tavros' room. He had opted to rent a movie and they were watching Disturbia, Tavros cowering in the corner of his bed with blankets layered up to his neck. Dave glanced back at him, "We can turn it off you know... It's gonna get a lot worse and if you can't even handle the blood on the window I think it would be for the best."  
Tavros looked down at him, "Have uh... Have you seen it already?"  
Dave laughed quietly, "Have I seen it," he mocked, "I've seen every movie on DVD."  
Tavros perked up, "Yeah, okay, I think we should, uh, turn it off..."  
Dave smiled and pulled the DVD from the player. The movie had hardly even started but he wasn't complaining.

The doorbell rang throughout the hallway and he stood up eagerly with Tavros jumping out of his skin, and standing to follow him, close behind. It wasn't even dark out yet. Dave had shut the shades and turned out all the lights though, thinking the kid could at least handle a suspense movie. He was apparently wrong.

He jogged down the stairs and turned to the front door, opening it to let blinding light shine in, probably making for quite a scene, Dave in pajama pants he'd retrieved from his apartment and a T-shirt, Tavros in pokemon pajamas he got from who-knows-where, and Tavros clutching onto a blanket looking scared out of his mind. Dave adjusted his shades to block out the line of sunlight shining over the top of them, seeing a confused pizza guy standing on the ironic welcome mat. He nodded and took the two boxes and the two-liter of root beer.  
He handed the guy some cash, "Keep the change." He said, nodding to the guy as he jogged down the steps and left in his beat-up car that looked like it had been brought back to life from the 80's.

He shut the front door, successfully masking the entire house in darkness again. He turned on the kitchen light and set down the food on the table, opening the first box to find the most choice of pepperoni slices to set atop his plate. He jogged upstairs, knocking on Gamzee's door, "Pizza's here, bro."  
Gamzee opened his door with an enthusiastic smile, seeming more awake than earlier. As he walked past Dave to get downstairs, Dave noticed that sweet smell again, looking into Gamzee's room to smell an almost overbearing sweet scent. He shook his head, wondering what it was that was permeating from ever square inch of the place. He could find out some other time, there was pizza in the kitchen. He leaned in to shut the door of his room and ran downstairs again to stock up on Italian delights.

He and Tavros went to sit on the couch in the living room and Gamzee followed, "Hey, bro, you like video games?"  
Dave smirked, "I am the king of video games. No one can be better than Dave Strider at video games."  
Gamzee raised a suggestive eyebrow, "I beg to motherfuckin differ." They exchanged challenging glares until they both simultaneously grabbed for Play Station controllers and turned the TV on. Tavros would have joined but he was scared to ask. The two were at it from six to seven, playing as many games as they could, playing one round and then changing disks to see who would win the next game.

They played everything from Mario Kart to Tony Hawk and Dave was the king; until he opened the case to Fiduspawn, the only game in the entire selection that belonged to Tavros.  
The shy boy finally spoke up, "ALRIGHT GIVE ME THE CONTROLLER." Dave looked over at the tiny kid, wide-eyed. Gamzee didn't question his friend, he handed him the controller and Tavros glared over at Dave, "You don't stand a chance." For once, he had completely lost his stutter; completely confident in his gaming skills. Dave was kind of worried because if he could be so confident over one game of Fiduspawn, he had to be pretty good. Fiduspawn was a hard game. It was like a new-age version of pokemon, one of Tavros' other favorite games, but it had some of the toughest game logistics Dave had seen.

He started a new round and they both chose their characters and a random spawn selection and began fighting. The intensity began to stab Dave in the back; why on earth wasn't Tavros using his spawn selection? The spawn selection was random depending on which ones you picked from a mixed up group of unlocked spawns added to the default spawns you used to start with. The basic part of the game was kind of like a board game of sorts, mostly luck, but you could open your spawns at any part of the game, entering into a spawn brawl. When someone opened a spawn and started a brawl, the other person could open any one of their spawns, or they could fight with the character they chose at the beginning. Dave had opened two of his spawns already and challenged Tavros, hoping the spawns he'd opened would intimidate Tavros enough to use up one of his own, but he refused. He continued to fight with his own character, taking as much damage as he had to to keep from opening a spawn.

The game was finally coming to a close. The last boss was approaching and Dave felt a rush of heat flood his face in embarrassment as he realized why Tavros had been doing what he was doing. He could take as much damage as he wanted during brawls, but during the final boss, you had to use spawns; you couldn't use your character so it didn't matter how much damage it had taken. Dave on the other hand, had only played a handful of times and hadn't realized this strategy. He always thought it was a worthy sacrifice to use spawns during brawls that popped up in the middle of the game. Whoever had the highest score by the time they finished the final boss, was the winner. The screen was split in two so they could each fight their own boss. Dave was struggling now. He had no use of his main character and had one spawn to control. He glanced over at Tavros' screen where he began fighting with his spawn. He was really fucking good.

The game came to a sad close with Dave looking at the floor and Tavros crossing his arms over his chest. Dave's last spawn didn't even have the chance to die. Tavros didn't have to worry about being careful, he could throw his spawn into the battle being as foolish as he wanted to because by the time the first one died, he had two more. The boss was almost dead by the time he brought out his last spawn, now being more careful with his life, he ended the boss before Dave even had two punches in. it was a sad day for Dave Strider.

Tavros set down his controller on the coffee table and realized Dave and Gamzee had hardly had a chance to eat any of their pizza, "Hey, um, we should watch a movie all together..."  
Gamzee shrugged, "Sounds cool to me."  
He looked over to Dave, "Good game, bro." He smiled his lazy, sharp smile, holding out his hand for a fist-bump. Dave obliged and nodded smoothly at him, finally picking up his pizza. He decided it would be worth it to go put it in the microwave.

They all decided they should watch anything but suspense or horror because obviously that just wasn't working out. They settled on Peter Pan. Dave felt like a child sitting on this couch in pajamas watching Peter Pan, but it was something Tavros loved, Gamzee liked, and that he could easily put up with. It wasn't so bad anyway. He demanded that if they watch Peter Pan it be the live action one because it was way better than the animated Disney version.

After the end, Gamzee went to the kitchen and decided it was time to frost his cake and they should eat it. Dave and Tavros waited at the table until he was done.  
"So why is his cake so much better than any other cake," Dave ask inquisitively.  
Tavros' face brightened up, "He makes them from scratch and uh, adds special ingredients so it's way better!"  
Dave raised an eyebrow suggestively, "Special ingredients?" He lowered his voice, "What kind of 'special ingredients'?"  
Tavros laughed, "I meant spices and stuff, nothing, uh, bad." He smiled at Dave, who leaned back in his chaired from when he'd leaned forward.

He looked up as Gamzee finally turned around, platter in hand, "Alright motherfuckers, this shit is tits and just about all up and ready to eat."  
Dave creased his forehead, "Was that innuendo or was that just an ironic grouping of words?"  
Gamzee thought about what he'd said and laughed, "Oh, I guess you're motherfuckin right. Take it as you will." He set the cake on the table and pulled some strawberries from the fridge, slicing them quickly with practiced hands and arranging them on top of the cake.

He finally pulled out a knife and some plates and set them on the table next to Dave and Tavros. Dave was about to cut into it when Gamzee turned around, "DON'T CUT THAT!" Dave dropped the knife at the boy's raised voice. He wasn't really sure if he was angry or urgent. He set his hand back down on the table as Gamzee breathed out a sigh of relief. He reached to the top of the fridge and pulled down a camera. Dave understood now. He turned the camera on and captured some shots from imaginative angles, finally cutting into the cake and pulling a perfect slice onto a plate for more pictures.  
He slid the plate towards Dave, "Sorry about yellin, motherfucker. Got photography major, can't waste a good chance for a picture." He set the camera back on top of the fridge and Dave took the piece and a fork that Gamzee handed him.

They all ate cake until they couldn't handle anymore of the chocolate dessert. Dave could taste those extra spices Tavros had mentioned. He could taste a creative blend of cinnamon and some other he wasn't knowledgeable enough to name. The cake had a unique taste he hadn't tasted before and if this was a common occurrence in their household, they would be seeing Dave around a lot more. He wondered about Gamzee's intentions for the holidays. It was November, he had to have some kind of baked goods plan for Christmas, or 12th perigee's eve as the trolls called it.

Tavros drank the last of the milk in the mug he had in front of him, sighing happily. Gamzee stood up and put their dishes in the sink, turning around to head for the stairs, "I gotta go to classes in the morning. Gotta get some motherfuckin sleep."  
Tavros stood to hug him goodnight and he hugged back, "Night, Tavbro. Night Dave." He walked upstairs and Dave could hear his door shutting quietly.

Tavros went to the fridge and grabbed a soda before turning to walk upstairs, waiting for Dave to follow. Dave made a gesture to the fridge, and Tavros nodded approval for Dave to grab a soda as well before following the brown-blood upstairs.

Tavros fell back onto his bed and Dave opted for the desk chair. Tavros sat up, "So... uh, what now?" Dave shook his head, shrugging. Tavros made room on his bed for Dave to sit and Dave sat next to him. Tavros leaned on his hand and stared at Dave, thinking of something to do.  
Dave knew exactly what he was doing but couldn't help questioning, "It's okay, feel free to stare and swoon I expect nothing less." Tavros' face was suddenly the darkest shade of chocolate and he looked down at the suddenly immensely interesting blanket that spread out underneath them.

Dave smirked, "So, what are you hoping to major in when you go to college... If you plan on going to college."  
Tavros looked up, "Hm, well, I think I might want to do something science related so I can be a veterinarian."  
Dave raised an eyebrow, "Veterinarian?"  
Tavros blushed again, "Uh, yeah... I really love animals and I'm good at anatomy and science and stuff so I just thought, it um, would be a good job. Since, you know, I would be good at it, and um, have fun doing it..."  
Dave could think of so many things that would go wrong here. He was too nice to point out that to be a veterinarian he'd have to be able to cut animals open, watch them in pain, and euthanize them.  
He shook his head, "Okay."  
Tavros was pulling at the collar of his shirt absentmindedly, in deep thought before looking back at Dave, "What about you?"

Dave thought this over for half a second before smiling, "Probably music related. I don't have any special skills in any of my classes but music. I'll probably end up working at the club down on Fifth that my brother works at now. He's a DJ there. I'll either be taking his place, working with him, working opposite hours, or serving at the bar. Right now I do vocals for some of the raps he's thought up. He could do it himself but he knows I need the work."  
Tavros seemed interested now, "Oh, cool, um, what's he like?"

"My bro? He's crazy in the most ironic way. I don't think he'd appreciate me telling you all of his weird fetishes so I'll stick with the basics and tell you you couldn't handle him."  
Tavros was blushing again. Dave decided it was high time to add it to the top of his to-do list: Make Tavros blush. It was his new favorite pass-time. He could do this all day and it was oh-so easy.

He sat back against the wall with his arms crossed. His mind was wandering again. He had been having some thoughts today that have been curiously different. He was a bisexual. Most people didn't know that. Only Sollux had been told. He wasn't one to spread that kind of stuff around; it could ruin a guy's rep in 30 minutes give or take. He had been staring at Tavros all day with this feeling of interest. He wasn't often interested in people. He had never asked anyone out, not wanting his rep to get tainted by being turned down. He usually waited for them to ask him out. He wouldn't hide it, he'd dated quite a few girls just because he could. He had dumped them a week later when he realized they couldn't even talk to him without swooning. He was happy people liked him but he didn't want a fangirl girlfriend, he wanted someone who actually knew him and not just his Facebook status.

Today, He had been looking at Tavros with interests of foreign design. He was not used to being interested in people because he kept his feelings at a halt. But today was different. Today, he had let emotions slide. He had smiled to make Tavros comfortable. He had helped him find his seat. He had given him fair warning of Eridan. He had pitied him when he was being pushed around. And now, now he realized why he was doing these things. It wasn't because he felt bad, no, it was because he was interested. So interested, in fact, that he was spacing out, staring at the kid's lips now. He looked up to find a rewarding shade of chocolate spreading over his face.

One nice thing about trolls was that if you fell in love with them, or had an interesting display of feelings for them, it didn't matter if you were bi or gay because they were pansexual and it didn't matter. You didn't have to cower in the corner of your closet shrine and wonder if they were straight or not, clutching the many pictures of them you had printed against your chest, daydreaming about them kissing you in a display of anime-esque romance.

Dave was obviously staring. He doubted Tavros knew he had been staring at his lips. His shades deterred exact placement of his gaze, and if he had known, his face would have been ten shades darker. Dave looked directly at his caramel eyes and wondered what it would do to his reputation to be in a relationship with him. It would screw him over big-time, that's for sure. He thought about it in depth. The swarm would be gone. He could sit at a table and not only would it not be crowded, it would be nearly empty. The only ones who would even sit with him would be John, Sollux, and maybe a few half-friends, mostly interested through mutual acquaintances. He would no longer have girls rushing to ask him to dances. He would be made fun of, whether to his face or behind his back he didn't know. Trolls had it in their instinct to like males and females so they were excused from stereotype, but Dave... Dave would be one of the very few gays in his school. In his society, gays were hardly tolerated and he would go through hell and back if he made a move on this troll.

Dave let the images flashing before his eyes disappear. He couldn't just sit here staring at this kid. He let a few more quick thoughts run by him though. Maybe the empty table would be a nice change of pace. Maybe people giving him weird looks was something he was only imagining. Maybe he would still have a few fans. He didn't know. All he knew is that Tavros was sitting in front of him with wide caramel eyes, an unsure look on his face, brown blush spread over his cheeks, and a desire to get closer to who Dave Strider really might be underneath all the poker faces and smooth words.

Dave also, before letting his mind stop running, realized there was a chance that Tavros would turn him down. Then he would be the laughing stock of the school. The cool kid who everyone found out was not only gay, but was turned down by the super shy new kid/troll. His thoughts were getting way out of hand and he decided to put them to rest. He didn't even bother removing his shades before leaning forward. Tavros was obviously so on board with this. He had been staring at Dave, for the last ten minutes, totally unaware of the thoughts crowding through his mind and was just waiting to lean in and meet him halfway.


	3. Chapter 3

His lips were incredibly warm and soft. Dave could hardly move for the first few seconds and was kind of subconsciously embarrassed that Tavros was the first to actually make any move to further the kissing. He felt the smaller boy's hand on his neck and his hand managed to travel up to his face, cupping his cheek before he finally pulled back for some air. He knew Tavros was in need of air too, he was probably too scared to pull away. Dave looked at him for a second through his shades before speaking up, "So... um..."

"Yeah..."

Dave wanted so badly to ask what that was all about and if it had meant anything but he didn't want hear an answer like 'it was impulse' or 'something came over me'. He didn't want to know that Tavros didn't really have feelings for him in the least. He also didn't want to sound like a dork. As much as he wanted an answer to what that was all about and what it meant, he was not willing to sink to Egbert levels of dorky to ask, 'do you like me?'. That was just plain lame.

Instead, he somehow ended up biting his lip and Tavros seemed to have the same questioning stance as he sat back and stared. They both knew what they wanted to hear but neither one was willing to answer. So instead, Dave solved this problem with another question. He pulled his shades off this time and leaned in again to find Tavros kissing back with gusto. His lips moving a little more this time, a little reassured, a little less nervous.

It was both fairly fast, and yet took way too long before he finally felt the troll's tongue sliding along his kind of awkwardly. He pulled back a little when he first felt the sharp edges of his teeth and worried about them. But he decided if there was something to be worried about it would have made itself known by now.

His hands were attached to Tavros' waist and pulled him forward. He was suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that they both were hard and they both were pressed against each other, practically begging for relief. He wanted so bad to go further but part of him didn't want this to go so quickly. He didn't want to be remembered for being the least romantic boyfriend ever known. He wanted to take it slowly. He would kind of love to have Karkat Vantas watching him right now and knowing his thoughts because the douche would be dripping at how romantic and cheesy that had just come off sounding.

He pulled away and regretfully watched the other boy who was now straddling him. He looked back at Dave and with his shades off and his eyes available to look into, he seemed a little easier to read. Tavros understood. That look of want but at the same time that look of utter resistance. He was glad Dave had stopped too because if he hadn't, there was no doubt Tavros would have kept going and he would have regretted moving so quickly.

He sat up so Dave wasn't being pinned down anymore. Dave sat up too, still managing not to say anything. Well... what the fuck did they do now? Go jack off in the bathroom or get stuck with blue balls? Dave squinted his eyes in contemplation and Tavros was probably wondering the exact same thing. He almost had a mind to laugh at how ridiculous this situation was. He put one leg over the edge of the bed and awkwardly pointed to the hall, "I'm uh... I'm gonna go to the bathroom..." Tavros nodded quickly as if that was the most obvious answer.

Dave stood awkwardly and left the room in a flash-step, trying to get out as fast as possible. Tavros seemed a bit shocked at his sudden disappearance and stood up. He had his own bathroom but Dave had probably known that. He left it for him...

The next morning was surprisingly less awkward than Dave had anticipated. He had assumed they would both wake up in the same awkward stupor as they had gone to sleep in, but Dave was instead awoken by his roommate who, for god knows what reasons, had classes on Saturday. He knocked on the bedroom door and Dave rolled over, immediately grabbing for his shades which were conveniently situated no more than an inch from his pillow. He slipped them over his eyes and stood up to open the door.

He turned to see Tavros' bed was empty. He raised an eyebrow before twisting the doorknob to see the painted face of Gamzee so close to his he must have literally had his nose pressed to the door, "Mornin' motherfucker."  
Dave jumped back a few inches, finally getting a grip. He creased his forehead, "What?"

Gamzee straightened out and held an arm out, "Want breakfast?" Dave looked kind of surprised. He had had sleepovers many times but he usually ended up crashing on the couch and getting cereal for breakfast.  
He hesitated, "Uh... sure?" Gamzee laughed heartily and pulled him out of Tavros' room by the arm before shutting the door and pulling him downstairs like a child at Christmas.

Dave stopped at the bottom of the stairs at the smell of something completely unfamiliar. He entered the kitchen with hesitance, wondering what kind of troll food they had made for breakfast. He saw something resembling pancakes sitting on the table but at the same time, was definitely not pancakes. It looked like it was soaked in something and looked completely soggy and unappetizing and he was sure he would most definitely lose his cool if he had to eat that. He sat down at the table while Tavros finished whatever he was making.

Gamzee and him both joined Dave. He watched as Tavros picked one of the.. um... things(?) up. He was watching with wide eyes. His face probably didn't look any different than normal but he was sure they would be offended if they could see the look on his face without the cover of his shades. He watched questioningly as they put the things on their plates and cut into them.  
They waited for him to serve himself but he had to ask, "Um... I- what exactly... am I about to eat?"  
Tavros smiled, "You've never had grubcakes before?" Dave was now absolutely sure he didn't want to eat this. He had heard the word grub so many times in troll-speak that he didn't even know what it meant anymore.

They called themselves grubs when they were babies didn't they? So how was he supposed to know he wasn't eating tiny dead trolls? He kind of wasn't sure he even wanted to know.  
Tavros noticed the look of confusion on Dave's face and clarified, "They're like the, um, human things you call pancakes but they have, grub syrup all over them. Try one, I bet you'd, uh, like it!"

Dave was sure he was going to regret this but he put one of the things on his plate and cut off a bite to put into his mouth hesitantly. It actually didn't taste too bad. It wasn't nearly as sweet as a pancake but it wasn't bad. It had kind of a fruity taste to it and as much as Dave still questioned what exactly grubs had to do with food, he decided it wasn't bad enough to complain over and continued eating, albeit a bit cautiously.

They finished breakfast and Tavros decided he wanted to go for a walk. After the two had showered, Dave successfully using all the hot water and leaving Tavros to freeze, he went back upstairs in a towel to get clothes from the bag he brought and heard Tavros yelling from the shower, "Dave! You used all the fucking hot water!" He shrunk back to hear the troll cussing at him but couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on his face at his amusement.  
He pulled some boxers and jeans on just as the troll emerged from the bathroom, a towel tied around his waist, shivering and hugging himself, "Thanks a lot asshole." Dave racked up all of his cussing and his lack of stuttering to a thing he now labels as 'morning confidence'. He's found from more recent experimenting that this is typical Tavros when he's first woken up. The first two hours of his day have next to no stuttering and an obvious increase in profanity.

Dave walks over with a towel still draped over his shoulders. He leans over, "Want a hug?"  
Tavros glares at him but doesn't push him away when he hugs him skin to skin. His freezing cold arms unfold from over his chest to rest gently against Dave's warm back. His head is rested on Dave's shoulder now and his body is starting to regain color.  
He pulls back and brushes the wet hair off his forehead, "I'm spending the night at your house next. And you are getting the coldest fucking shower." Dave nods. He probably deserves just as much.

He leaves the room with a shirt in hand to let the troll get dressed and pulls it over his head as he walks to the stairs. He jogs downstairs to wait by the front door. He hears the bedroom door open again and leans down to pull his sneakers on. He finishes tying them as Tavros turns at the end of the stairs. Dave can't help but lock his eyes on his body. He has on black skinny jeans, a thing he would never assume would work well with metal legs, and a dark chocolate brown button-up, buttoned to the second to top button. The button-up has sleeves that stop at the middle of his biceps, cuffed and with a small loop that holds the cuffs in place. His gray skin has a copper tint to it as he's still cold from the shower, the cold air hitting him making his skin flush with brown. The shirt compliments him and Dave wishes he had on better clothes.

He opened the door and the two of them walked out to the morning air. Copper street was a lot nicer than Dave was aware of. Tavros, in the week he'd been living with Gamzee, had had time to explore and knew of some great places to hang out at. The first stop was at a big field. The grass was bright green and the sun shone bright, right over the top of it, warming the late fall air. The two ended up laying down in the grass and chatting about things. Tavros asked questions about Dave's life; what classes he was good at, who he was friends with and what they were like. Dave asked Tavros questions about his past; where he used to live, what his old school was like, if the other kids were treating him nicely.

They talked about a lot of things Dave didn't usually tell people for a long time. He told him about his past, about his family and being adopted, he talked about John and how he had just started to grow away from him. John had always been his friend but nowadays, he would rather be with Karkat. He and Dave both knew he was totally out of his mind for that troll but he was scared to admit it. He continued dating Vriska mostly because he was scared to shit of breaking up with her. She had asked him out years ago and he said yes because he was a stupid little nerd who didn't know any better than to say yes to the extremely pretty girl who just asked him out. He told Tavros everything. He didn't feel guilty about unloading all of the secrets he'd had to keep either, because somehow, somehow he knew Tavros would keep them and he wouldn't judge anyone.

They talked until the sun started to make its decent at which point Tavros stood and held out a hand for the blond. He stood and followed the brown-blood as he walked the opposite direction. He followed him until they came to the edge of the lake. Dave knew there was a lake around here but he usually had too much to deal with to go explore. For being local and close to a highschool, the lake was surprisingly clean and the sand remained mostly empty of litter. It looked inviting.

Dave wanted to keep going but Tavros stopped at the edge of the sand to look out over the water, "What's the hold-up shorty?"  
Tavros turned to face Dave who was walking back to see what was wrong, "Sand, uh, doesn't do well with prosthetics." Dave raised an eyebrow and Tavros kept watching the water as he walked back the direction they came, disappearing from his periph. He was shocked as he felt himself falling... falling into Dave's arms apparently. He made a sound resembling a strangled scream and clutched onto Dave's shoulders, now in his arms and pressed up against his chest. He took a moment to catch his breath.

He held tighter as Dave walked forward, hoping he wouldn't be dropped. They approached the wide dock and Dave set him down. He stood, wobbling at first until he caught his balance. He was going to just stand there but Dave walked forward and sat down, waving him forward. He sat next to him, awkwardly stretching his legs out, wishing he could put his feet in the water and actually feel the water. He knew that couldn't happen though so he just decided to be content with leaning against Dave and watching the sun as it finally started painting the sky pink and orange. He felt like maybe this was a little sappy but he couldn't care less.

The sun was disappearing now and the stars were starting to appear one by one overhead. Tavros stood begrudgingly. He was starting to feel sleepy and he'd spent his entire Saturday walking around and talking more than he had ever talked before. Dave stood too and scooped him up in his arms again; something Tavros would take a while to get used to. This time, he didn't put him down at the edge between grass and sand. He held him close because he knew he was about to fall asleep and he suddenly didn't mind being the sappiest couple in Skaia. He soon felt Tavros' face resting heavily against his arm as he nodded off.

Gamzee was home, cooking dinner when Dave got back to Tavros' house. It was really only about 6. the sun was setting earlier and earlier as it prepared for winter and soon it would be only five when night time appeared. Dave had yet to pack his things so he went upstairs, carrying Tavros with him. He laid him on his bed as carefully as he could but the troll still managed to wake up.  
He looked up at Dave, "I fell asleep..."  
Dave laughed, "Yeah."  
He turned to pick up his stuff to put back in his bag, "Did Gamzee already eat dinner?"  
Dave turned to shake his head, "Nah he was cooking when I walked in. I think he still is."  
Tavros sat up suddenly, "Hey are you packing? It's, uh, already night. You might as well stay here." He smiled. He knew he was being clingy but so far Dave hadn't shown any signs of caring so he didn't stop himself from suggesting he stay another night.

Dave shrugged, "Well bro doesn't care. If you guys don't mind the intrusion, I wouldn't mind staying another night... but I'm leaving tomorrow at noon."  
Tavros smiled and stood, "That's fine." He opened his bedroom door and walked downstairs to see what Gamzee was making. Dave followed after putting his pillow back where it belonged.  
He entered the kitchen and heaved a sigh of relief to see regular spaghetti being set on the table, "Thank god you guys eat human food sometimes."  
Gamzee laughed, "Fuck yeah, you guys got some wicked motherfuckin foods goin' on here." he finished by turning the stove off and putting plates on the table. He didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed by Dave's presence. Dave really felt kind of at home here. He wouldn't mind if he never had to go home.


	4. Chapter 4

But he did. And the next morning, Dave had to pack his bags and walk back to his shared apartment. He set his bags down by his bed and got onto the computer. He spent a while messaging John before going about his usual Sunday of playing video games, sparring, and doing chores his bro was too lazy to do himself.

~

Dave woke up Monday with a fog resting over him. He needed to shower and get rid of this lifeless feeling. He got ready for school and felt better when he stepped out into the cold air. He walked to school as usual and went through his first classes without catching sight of Tavros. At lunch, he had some stuff to do. He went to the school library but on the way, he heard some noise down the hall.

He continued walking down the secluded hall and turned the corner to see the same guy standing with Tavros backed up against a wall. He watched for a second to see if he was doing alright. He nearly jumped when he suddenly saw a fist jutting into Tavros' stomach. He was bending over, his arms attempting to hold onto his stomach in pain.

Dave was over there in seconds, "Excuse me sir, mind telling me what exactly you think you're doing?"  
The guy looked down at him, "I'm teaching this wimp to stop acting like he's so high and mighty like he thinks he is." Tavros was looking up at Dave with concern.  
Dave shook his head, "If anyone here is pretending to be high and mighty it's you. He didn't do anything wrong."  
"Oh yeah? And what is Mr. Coolkid doing trying to stop fights, huh? Is this the new thing? Is this what you're doing now to look good? I bet you don't even know him."

Dave clenched his fists but refrained from throwing any punches, "Actually I do know him."  
He held out a hand which Tavros grabbed and lifted himself up with.  
The bully continued on, "Oh really? Who is he then? The new nerd you're paying to do your homework? Gotta keep that reputation looking nice, hm?"  
Dave really wanted to hit this guy in the jaw but kept his arms at his side, trying his hardest to keep looking cool, "No he isn't. I'm perfectly capable of doing my own homework."  
"Oh really, then who is he?"  
Dave finally clenched his teeth hard, "He's my boyfriend."  
Tavros' lips parted, surprised, as he breathed out silently.

The bully obviously hadn't seen that answer coming, "Tell me, what's your name?"  
He closed his mouth which was also open in surprise, "What's it matter?"  
Dave raised an eyebrow and waited for the correct response.  
"Nate." he finally replied, crossing his arms over his chest, no doubt trying to look cool and tough.  
Dave snorted, "Alright, Nate, I'll make sure to let all my friend's know about the loser who picks on younger kids, aka Dave Strider's boyfriend."  
Nate seemed a little broken up at that. Who would ever in a million years want to be known as someone who messes with Dave Strider and his friends? He was the most popular kid in school. Granted, Tavros wasn't aware of this so he just stood behind Dave, holding his hand.

Nate turned around swiftly and left. Dave still had a lunch tray in his right hand and he turned around with Tavros behind him to head to the library. He still needed to finish his work for his history class.

It seemed Tavros was speechless. He didn't say anything until they were finally sitting in the library at a table in the back corner, "What was that all about?"  
Dave shrugged, "I sometimes use my status for good reasons."  
"Are you really that popular?"  
"I guess. Yeah. I don't intend to be, but I can't really help it when people talk about me and what not."  
Tavros seemed a little nervous about that, "I'm dating the coolkid? Crap... we're dating?"  
"I thought the feeling was mutual, should I go tell Nate we're just friends?"  
Tavros shook his head, "Oh, no, I just... I haven't dated anyone before. And... you're the popular kid?! That's not good!"  
Dave raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Why not?"  
Tavros stuttered incoherently for a minute, "Because, because then people are gonna want to know me and, I, I don't want to become, um, popular, and, people, they're gonna start talking about me, and um, and, I don't wanna be noticed!"

He was talking in a panic and Dave sat there staring at him through black shades, "Dude, calm down. I assure you, I only get attention from girls. I might be popular but I'm not the center of the social circle. I hardly talk to anyone unless we're friends. Really, I doubt you have much to worry about after about a week of them exhausting all of their juicy gossipy ideas."

Tavros seemed to squirm at that last part, "Ideas?"  
Dave chuckled evilly, "Oh yeah, they'll be chatting with their girl friends all day about the hot new couple in school. But don't worry, the excitement will die down after a few days."

Tavros gulped, "I'm not sure I want to know about their ideas..."  
"You and me both."

Dave handed Tavros half of the pizza he'd bought and a napkin to set it on. He opened up the history book he took from his backpack and studied quietly until Tavros spoke up.

"So... If we're dating... I, I get to kiss you and stuff, right?"  
Dave looked over at him with his eyes to see his face was completely brown, "Oh totes, we get to slobber all over each other to the flashing of cameras. Go get your sparkly halter for the red carpet Tav, we're makin this happen."  
He smiled one of his rare smiles and Tavros was silently panicking, "You, you're joking right?"  
Dave scoffed, "What do you think?"  
Tavros bit his lip, "Yes? Please tell me you are..."  
Dave looked up his face completely blank, "Absolutely not."  
He watched Tavros get all silent and completely still, staring at Dave trying to see through his shades, "So... So that's a yes? You... You were joking..."  
Dave smiled again, "Of course I was joking. What red carpet are we going to be walking? Last time I checked we aren't celebrities."  
Tavros shrugged and they sat quietly until the lunch bell rang and Dave put his book away and threw out the paper tray he had recently been eating off of.

They both walked quietly down the hall to the band room. Dave went to get his guitar and Tavros pulled his flute case from inside his bag. They both sat down with the other kids that were sitting in various places in the room. Dave's row of seats was only slightly higher up than Tavros' so he was sitting almost right behind him.

He almost smirked again when he reached ahead by a few inches and ran his fingers through the hair at the base of Tavros' neck. The troll stiffened up and his head turned slightly like he wanted to look back at Dave questioningly but was trying not to draw any attention to them.

Dave let his hand lower to the bare skin of his neck and ran his fingers over it silently, attracting no attention. Tavros wished he was sitting behind Dave so he could at least lean in and whisper questions to him without looking out of the ordinary. He felt Tavros grow still when his fingers ran over a spot on the side of his neck. Dave wasn't going to torment him during class but he couldn't stop himself from running his fingers over it again, seeing his boyfriend stiffen awkwardly.

He grinned and his hand went back to his side. The warning bell rang and more kids started coming into class. He noticed right away that there were a couple girls staring at him with confused expressions. He internally frowned. He knew the second he let those three words out of his mouth that it would spread like wildfire, but he didn't expect it to be this awkward. He wanted to ask what they knew. Part of him wanted to deny what he'd said and take it back.

He was definitely going to go through hell for this whole ordeal.

After school, he and Tavros met up at the exit of the school grounds. He threw an arm around the troll's shoulders and leaned into him a little, "So."  
Tavros looked over at him, "What?"  
Dave shrugged, "Nothing." He latched their hands together and let his fingers slip awkwardly into place with Tavros'. Tavros seemed to take comfort in the gesture and they walked down Copper street. Tavros was about to turn into his driveway but Dave kept walking straight, bringing questions to Tavros' mind. He wanted to ask where they were going but somehow he knew. Today was hot out. It was probably one of the last hot days they would have before the coldness of fall picked up.

Dave swung down and picked up Tavros as they approached the clearing of the beach. He giggled quietly as he was carried to the dock again. Dave set him down and immediately dropped his backpack on the ground.

"Can you swim," He asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.  
Tavros felt his cheeks go hot as he took in Dave's shirtless body, "Not really... I used to be able to before I had prosthetics but now I just sink. I can be in the shallow parts though."  
That was all Dave needed before grabbing at Tavros' collar and pulling him forward, their bodies in close proximity as he carefully and deliberately unbuttoned his shirt.

Tavros felt it hard to look Dave in the face but he continued meeting his gaze. His shirt was unbuttoned and thrown over his shoulders, pulled away from his arms and set on top of Dave's backpack with his own t-shirt.

Tavros wondered about his shorts. Dave had his hands on his hips, "Don't tell me you intend to swim in those."  
Tavros bit his lip, "But..."  
Dave shook his head, "They'll weigh you down."  
Tavros wrung at his hands, "But... Do we really have to see each other naked so fast?"  
Dave raised an eyebrow, "Who said anything about getting naked?"  
Tavros creased his forehead and Dave grabbed board shorts from his backpack, "I planned ahead of time. You'll just have to swim in your boxers or something."  
Tavros looked confused again, "In my, um, what?"  
Dave's face drained of any expressions, "Um... You're underwear? Come on trolls wear underwear right?"  
Tavros shook his head.  
Dave sighed, "Okay." He handed Tavros the board shorts, "Apparently I'm swimming in my underwear." Tavros seemed to wonder what he meant but he unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down to reveal red and black plaid boxers.

He got it. Okay, so humans wore a second pair of shorts under their pants? He didn't understand why they did it but he accepted it and turned around to pull his shorts down, slipping quickly into the board shorts which were slightly loose and had to be tied with the draw strings. He turned around to see Dave had a hand over his eyes, "You done yet?"  
Tavros nodded but backed it up with, "Yeah..."

Dave opened his eyes to look over his body. He smiled, "Kay then..." He stared at him quietly for a second before smirking, "Hold your breath," he said loudly as he grabbed Tavros around the waste. He pulled him into the water with him. Tavros had just enough time to hold his breath before he was completely covered in water. He grabbed around him in a panic but was calmed by the squeeze of an arm around his waste.

They broke the surface and Tavros was glaring, "You could have given me a little more warning, asshole!" Dave knew however that the words were empty of true contempt and smiled at him. He let his hand pull up on Tavros' thighs and wrapped them around his waist so he didn't have to use all his effort in his arms.

Tavros' face was brown, from the cold air or from the close contact, he didn't know. He swam on his back to the shallower water of the lake with Tavros partially laying on his stomach he finally sat up and dropped him to the ground, earning a shocked gasp and a sigh of relief when Tavros' metal feet hit the bottom.

"Dave!" Dave's head turned to the voice of John who was running towards them. He slowed down when he hit the sand and saw that Dave wasn't alone. His smile remained but Dave detected some confusion.

Jade followed closely behind John in sandals and a light green two piece. John had on black and blue board shorts and his feet were devoid of shoes, causing him to trip when his foot his a rock. Dave watched, amused, as he fell and looked around, picking up the rock and throwing it, annoyed. He stood back up and tried to tell Jade he was alright.

They ran over and John entered the water, complaining about the cold, "Geez this is freezing!" He waded over to Dave and Tavros who were standing up to their chests.

Jade joined them by jumping off the dock, "You know," she said as she resurfaced, "It's a lot easier getting in if you make it fast!"  
She swam over to them all, "Oh! Hi," She said as she saw Tavros standing silently behind Dave, slightly nervous as to who these new additions were.

Dave stood back, pushing Tavros in front of him, "Guys, this is Tavros. Tavros these are the preps who drink in the juicy gossip."

John laughed, "We so are not!"  
Dave smiled, "I'm joking, these are my friends, John and Jade." He gestured at them respectively and John wouldn't stop looking at him, confused, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

John broke into a grin, "You were smiling!"  
Jade turned quickly from what she was doing, "What?! I missed it!"  
Dave's face was immediately devoid of smiles and he shook his head, "I was not."  
John nodded, "Yeah you were. You were definitely smiling!"  
Dave shook his head, "Sorry to disappoint you all, I wasn't smiling."  
Tavros raised an eyebrow, "Yeah you were. You smile a lot!"

John looked over at him, "What?"  
Tavros turned to him, "Yeah he's always smiling."  
John looked back at Dave, asking questions silently that only Dave would be able to understand through their eyes. He would love to answer but he figured he'd let the word get out a bit more before he made it official throughout his friends.

He ignored the look and splashed John, "Hey man, not cool!" He splashed back.  
Tavros looked over to Dave with wonder. He must not know what to do or say now that John and Jade are here.  
Dave leaned over to John, "Hey me and Tav came here to talk about some stuff, we're gonna go over to the other side of the dock for a few minutes, we'll be back."

John nodded and Dave grabbed Tavros by the arms. He pulled him back to the deeper water, keeping their hands locked so Tavros wouldn't sink. When they were over a foot off the ground and farther away from John and Jade, he pulled him closer to wrap his arm around his waist again. Tavros didn't ask why he was being pulled to the other side but he seemed to appreciate the lack of people on this side of the dock.

They stopped once in the shallow part again and Dave leaned back against one of the beams keeping the dock in place. He smiled and Tavros would have asked what he was smiling about but he leaned forward again to wrap his arms around Tavros' back and pull him forward. He sunk onto Dave's chest and his eyes searched Dave's face.

He was enjoying the contact but he wasn't so sure about it at the same time. He stopped though when Dave leaned forward, his eyes closing and pressing a tender kiss to his wet lips. He pressed back. He still seemed a little floored at the whole concept of kissing. He hadn't been in any relationships before and Dave was eager to make it up to him.

He let his tongue slide out to touch the other, to intertwine with it in Dave's mouth. His arms were wrapped loosely around Dave's back, his fingers exploring the large expanse when he felt a shiver run through his body. His fingers were running over that spot on his neck. He was pressing and squeezing the spot on his collarbone. He felt himself arching his back and felt his body pressing closer into Dave's and oh god now he was using his nails.

He felt chills running through his body and oh he wanted to make Dave feel like this. He ran his nails lightly over the different places on Dave's back until he finally felt Dave pressing back.

But he pulled back in a panic when he heard a splash at the end of the dock.


	5. Chapter 5

John had a hand holding onto the dock as he watched for a response. He hadn't meant to barge in on them... kissing... but, he also didn't really know that they were a thing? Or even that Dave was gay? He was confused in so many different ways right now.

Dave followed Tavros' gaze and he seemed a little shocked, a little bit embarrassed, "John..."  
John raised an eyebrow, "Dave?"  
Dave closed his mouth, "I was gonna wait a little while... it's probably already spreading around school as we speak..."  
John still didn't know what to say. Was it rude to ask questions? He really wanted to. If it was rude, Dave would tell him, "So, are you guys dating? I didn't know you... were gay? Or bi? I don't know..."  
Dave just stood there, still practically holding Tavros who was sitting on his waist, "Well... I kind of preferred to keep that to myself. Most people aren't going to take it too kindly. And as for me and Tavros dating," Tavros blushed, "That's a new thing."

John nodded, "I'll go back over and hang out with Jade, she just wanted to know if you wanted to go to our house after we're done here?"  
Dave bit his lip for a second, something he didn't usually do, "Well... I guess, if that's okay with Tavros."  
Tavros didn't like making decisions, "Um... I'll go if you go."  
Dave nodded, "Then yeah, we're going." John nodded, "O-Okay. Yeah I'll go tell Jade."

With this, he turned around awkwardly and swam back to their side of the dock. Dave still felt his heart beating a little too fast, matching up with Tavros' who was beating the same. They both looked at each other and when the situation finally sunk in and Dave realized that despite his whole no-homo thing, John didn't seem to care, he started laughing. Tavros seemed to be a little more hysterical but he laughed too.

When they both stopped laughing Dave pressed his lips back against Tavros' and moved his right hand from his waist to his hair, running his fingers through the wet strands and running over that one spot he would have to be sure to pay a lot more attention to.

He didn't think they'd be able to get back into it after the interruption but his teen hormones said otherwise. He felt the troll's body pressing into his once more and he couldn't help but pull with his left hand, bringing Tavros' body as close as he could. They ground into each other and Tavros let a small noise slip out, quickly making his cheeks go hot. He was glad it had been quiet and over the sounds of splashing on the other side of the dock, he doubted anyone could have heard it.

When he started finding it hard to resist, Dave found his fingers hooked on the edge of Tavros' board shorts, begging to slide a little further. He couldn't do it. Not so soon.

"Hey Dave, we're gonna head back now meet us there when you feel like leaving!"  
Dave pulled his lips away from the others' for a split second, "Alright!"

This side of the dock was out of their view with the direction they came from so he continued on what they were doing. When he couldn't hear them anymore, he took solace in the woods surrounding the lake and finally let his fingers slide down further. Tavros' breathing picked up as he was startled, but in the hot adrenaline, he couldn't really bring himself to care.

Dave felt something inhuman wrap around his fingers. He might think more about it later, but the strange difference between their bodies couldn't present itself as anything other than kinky and hot at the moment. His bulge was hot and there was slimy substance covering it, making it easier for Dave to run his hand over it. He squeezed his fingers around it and pulled up, drawing out one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard from the troll laying against him.

Tavros pulled their lips apart as a moan made itself known to them both and anyone who had the urge to eavesdrop. There was no one around though and Dave didn't really care if there was because this beautiful, wonderful being was making beautiful, wonderful sounds and Dave was making it happen.

They were in shallow water and Tavros' legs were already wrapped around Dave as much as they could get so he let his left hand go wrap around Tavros' back, pulling him forward. He was rewarded with another moan when he connected his lips to that one spot on his neck. He licked and sucked on it, drawing out more moans and an urgent arch in his back, begging for more.

He was practically whimpering now and Dave wanted so badly to do more to him but he couldn't in this deep water. He wished he could just teleport them back to Tavros' house. With this idea in mind, the idea of being on a bed and not in a lake, was enough to make him pull his hand from Tavros' pants, "What, no, keep going. Pleaaasee!" Tavros had his head buried in Dave's neck and his pleas were tempting. But Dave had better ideas. He could keep it going. Dave was smart... except part of Dave felt really stupid too. He walked as fast as the water would allow until they could walk to the dock. Tavros was still panting into his ear and he could tell his was still aroused. He was too. He could do this.

This was like a test. He laughed internally at the stupidity in all of this. He should just stay here and help him finish. But no, Dave decided already and he was taking them back to Tavros' place.

He grabbed their clothes and shoved them in his backpack. Tavros' house was literally five minutes to walk, if he couldn't keep them both in the mood for five minutes, he seriously sucked. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He was soaking it through but he didn't care. He let his fingers run over Tavros' shoulders and went back to absentmindedly kissing and licking his neck. He noticed Tavros was considerably quieter but he was sure he knew where Dave was going with this. He had probably been thinking the same thing.

Dave continued with his neck until they entered the house. Dave dropped his bag on the floor and was about to turn upstairs but Tavros shook his head, "No... go... basement." Dave didn't know they had a basement but the only part of the house he hadn't seen was the small hallway in the kitchen. He found a stairway and went down to the basement. He wanted to collapse on the couch he saw but he heard Tavros muttering something else, "The, the room. Over there." He lifted his head enough to point at a door.

Dave carried him over to the room and opened the door to find himself in a dream. They had a bar downstairs but the thing that caught his mind was the dimming lights and the hot tub. Oh my god there was a hot tub.

If he had lost any of the mood it was back at the thoughts he was getting. There was a hot tub. The things they could do in a hot tub...

He set Tavros down who seemed a little more aware now. He tried to maintain balance while Dave pulled the cover off to reveal the steaming water.

He pressed their bodies together again and used his fingers to pull Tavros chin forward, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before tugging at the board shorts to get them loose. They ended on the floor and he pulled Tavros with them until they were both in the hot tub, Tavros laying on top of Dave once more.

His hand was pulling at his bulge again and this time, without the restriction of board shorts, he was free to move how he liked. His own underwear were giving the forgotten board shorts some company and their bodies were pressed together in the most satisfying way.

Dave once again had his mouth latched to Tavros' collarbone and he was making sounds again; beautiful wonderful sounds. He stopped and laid Tavros down on the curved seat made out of the plastic of the hot tub's wall. Tavros wondered what he was doing but before he could voice his concerns, Dave had his mouth on his bulge and he was breathless. He couldn't even move. He gasped for air and shuddered as he was about to come. Dave somehow knew this and pulled back, causing Tavros to whine.

Instead, he positioned his own erection to the entrance at Tavros' backside, laying over the top of him and whispering in his ear, "Ready, Tav?" He nodded vigorously, his eyes half-lidded and begging for more.

He pressed in carefully, hoping not to hurt him, but he realized soon that trolls' bodies were more prepared for this kind of thing. He thrust in gently, picking up pace when Tavros' hands began pulling at his back. Now he found himself moaning too.

It only took a few minutes for them both to finish in a heap of hormones and heat and moans.

They stayed there in that position for a few minutes, basking in the afterglow, Dave pressing affectionate kisses to Tavros' cheeks and neck and chest, trying to make it clear how much he loved him already, even if they got started with the intimate stuff a bit sooner than intended.

He hadn't been this happy in a long time. He was in love with a beautiful, wonderful, adorable, sexy troll. He didn't care if the kids at school thought he was weird, or screwed up. He was too happy to care. All he cared about was the warm body under his while he enjoyed this afterglow.

Then the afterglow was gone and as much as he had temporarily payed no mind to their situation, he was covered in hot water and jizz and he wanted to get the fuck out and get dried off. Tavros sat up as he pulled out and stood. He held a hand out and Tavros stood too, still a bit wobbly from the whole overdose on his nerves.

He was glad to see a filter in the hot tub and when asking, Tavros assured him it replaced the water throughout the day. He stepped over the side of the hot tub, the plastic slippery with water. Dave noticed a closet and opened it to find the much needed towel he had been hoping for. He helped Tavros get out of the hot tub without slipping. He wouldn't give Tavros the chance to get a towel because before he could move, Dave was rubbing the towel over his body and drying him off himself.

Tavros had the most adorably sexy body Dave had seen. His hips were subtle but defined, his belly was fit but soft, his collarbone was slightly prominent in the most alluring way, and then there were his chocolatey eyes that Dave couldn't get enough of.

Tavros started to shift a bit awkwardly with Dave staring at him and when he went to dry himself off, Tavros snatched the towel to do it himself, studying with the same intensity, Dave's human form much different than his own.

Tavros left the room and Dave waited there, still naked and in no mood to walk around someone's house with no clothes on. Tavros came back with a pile of clothes and handed some to Dave. He pulled on a t-shirt with a band name he had heard of before printed across the bottom. He noticed a lack of underwear but decided against mentioning it. He slipped the pants on that Tavros had brought him and noticed they seemed to be made differently than his own. Instead of the most uncomfortable chafing he noticed they were lined kind of like the board shorts he had, meant to be worn without underwear. He couldn't complain because they were surprisingly comfortable.

He suddenly remembered telling John he would come over. He bit his lip and after helping Tavros into his clothes, he ran upstairs to grab his cellphone from his backpack. He called john, "Hey, bro, um, can I take a rain-check on that visit? I'll come over after school tomorrow if you want me to?"  
"Hey that's fine... Did, um, something come up?"  
Dave fought the urge to laugh at the choice of words but just confirmed John's suspicions, "Yeah... also, sorry about earlier..."  
"No problem dude! You owe me a visit though!"  
Tavros walked into the room then and went into the kitchen. Dave watched him looking through the cupboard, "Alright, I got to go... See ya at school."  
John said goodbye and Dave hung up to go see what Tavros was getting to eat.

They ended up eating cereal, throwing dried pieces at each other while they ate in silence, laughing quietly when one of them would feel a lucky charm hit them in the face or go down their shirt.

They both looked up when Gamzee got home from work. He looked at them and smiled, "Sup motherfuckers?" He smirked as if knowing more than he should, "Nice shirt, Dave." He said before jogging upstairs.

Dave smiled, "Right back at ya, asshole!" He hollered up the stairs in good fun.

He ended up spending the night again and woke up the next morning at 5:30 to Tavros kissing him repeatedly all over the neck. He was about to open his eyes when he heard his voice, "I'm gonna keep doing this until you wake up just so you know." he opened his eyes and sat up, startling the troll who was leaned over him, "Oh! Morning."

Dave scoffed. They both showered and dressed for school. Dave grabbed his bag and they walked together, holding hands.

~~

Your name is Dave Strider and you're wandering through the school halls. This is a typical school day spent doing typical school things. But one thing that isn't so typical is the lack of attention. You usually have girls swarming around you but you don't get that anymore...

This isn't something you're used to; the silence and personal space. You kind of miss the swarming girls and the swooning and begging. But compared to how happy you are right now, you don't really mind the silence. You're on your way to music class and you're happy. You're happy that when you get to music class, you can be alone. Alone and happy. Alone and happy with the one you love.


End file.
